


When Love Comes Tumbling

by EvavH, stetsonblack



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-21
Updated: 2012-10-28
Packaged: 2017-11-16 19:00:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/542783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvavH/pseuds/EvavH, https://archiveofourown.org/users/stetsonblack/pseuds/stetsonblack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mike has been having a rough week. His apartment burned down in a fire, he can’t make bacon, he kissed his boss, and he was forced to room with Louis for two nights. And Harvey’s emotionless egotistical facade really isn’t helping either of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Some Day are Better than Others

Mike looked at the debris that used to be his apartment. It hadn’t been much but it had been his. Now everything was gone. He wasn’t sure whether it was a nightmare or a clean start.  
  
He stared at the charred picture of the panda that he had picked up from the rubble. The only thing that was left after an all-consuming fire.  
  
Maybe he should hang on to it. Whenever Harvey would be his obnoxious self he would hang it in his office. If he could just figure out a way to make it glow in the dark. The panda had always freaked Harvey out. Imagine the effect it would have if it had risen from the dead.  
  
When the police had called him to tell him his house had been burned to the ground, he thought Kyle was making another sorry attempt to be funny. Or maybe it was a ‘will you stay to finish your work first, even if your house is on fire’ drill from Louis.  
  
But it became clear very soon that it was no joke. And no drill.  
  
All Mike had left were the clothes on his back and the stuff he had in his bag.  
  
And the panda.  
  
He wanted to get his phone to call Rachel. He needed a place to crash for the coming days. Then he realized that he had left it at the office. The only thing he had taken with him was the key to his apartment. Funny how your mind works.  
  
He got on his bike and headed back to the office. While waiting for the elevator he suddenly remembered that Rachel’s sister was staying with her. He had to come up with another crash site.  
  
…  
  
Harvey pulled open his door with a sour expression and a roll of his eyes. When Mike came barreling through, he didn’t even bother trying to kick him out. None of his previous efforts had ever worked, after all, and Harvey had long since realized the only way to get peace and quiet was to move to an undisclosed location.  
  
As Mike passed, Harvey noticed the faintest aroma of ash and cinders.  
  
Mike combed his hands through his hair as he plunked himself on Harvey’s Italian leather imported sofa. Harvey closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath to remind himself it was his own fault for not moving.  
  
“Is this going to take long? I’d really like to get some sleep,” Harvey griped tiredly.  
  
Mike heaved out a whoosh of air and scrubbed his hands over his tired eyes.  
  
“I wouldn’t have come here, but you’re literally my last resort. Rachel has her sister over, Harold is weird and doesn’t believe in air conditioning, and I didn’t even get to ask Donna before she said no.”  
  
Harvey attempted to process Mike’s rushed speech before realizing it probably wasn’t that important. He really wanted to go back to sleep.  
  
“Can I stay here?” Mike asked, the resignation and hesitation clear on his ash-smudged face.  
  
“What?” Harvey managed. “No. No way.”  
  
“Please, Harvey! I really don’t want to-- ”  
  
“Good. ‘Cause you’re not welcome.” He started to pull Mike up off the couch and tug him over to the door.  
  
“--but my place is condemned!” Mike yelled, skidding his feet against the wood floors.  
  
“I’m not surprised,” Harvey muttered, putting his back into removing his pest.  
  
Mike braced his arms in the door frame, and shouted, “It caught on fire!”  
  
Harvey stopped pushing, wondering, for a fatal moment, if Mike had just made that up or if his associate’s luck was worse than he’d thought.  
  
“Please!” Mike begged.  
  
Harvey frowned, considering. He couldn’t see how any of this was his problem. Mike would just have to find somewhere else to stay the night.  
  
“Fine. I’ll just sleep at the office in my only suit. See you at the deposition tomorrow,” Mike said angrily.  
  
Harvey growled and pulled Mike back inside. The kid’s suit was a mess, and if all of his suits really had burned in a fire, there was no way Harvey could take him anywhere. And they both needed to be at that deposition tomorrow morning. “Fine. One night.”  
  
Mike practically jumped. “Thank you so much, Harvey. You won’t even notice I’m here. I promise.”  
  
Harvey rolled his eyes. “I’m sure,” he said sarcastically. “Just...don’t touch anything.”  
  
Mike nodded vigorously. He moved to lie down on Harvey’s couch.  
  
“No.”  
  
“But I was--”  
  
“That couch is worth more than your annual salary.”  
  
Mike rolled his eyes. “That’s a gross exaggeration.”  
  
“Just shut up and wait there.”  
  
Harvey returned a minute later and tossed some gym clothes at Mike. “And get rid of that...thing.”  
  
“Thanks, Harvey.”  
  
“And don’t touch anything.”  
  
“Yeah, I think I got that part,” Mike said and started to strip his ruined suit off.  
  
Harvey turned the corner to the bedroom, but caught a glimpse of Mike’s bare back on his way out of the living room. For some reason, he couldn’t help staring until Mike had covered it with Harvey’s old Harvard T-shirt.   
  
“Night, Harvey,” Mike called before settling on the couch.  
  
Harvey didn’t call back, but he did return a few minutes later to dump a blanket on his snoozing associate.


	2. Even Better than the Real Thing

When Mike’s consciousness slowly climbed back up again the next morning, it took him some time to realize why his bed suddenly had the faint scent of expensive leather. When he opened his eyes, reality immediately kicked in. He was at Harvey’s. His own house was gone.   
  
He lied on his back staring at the ceiling.  
  
Mike still hadn’t decided whether he was relieved or saddened that everything he owned was consumed by fire. A bit of both probably.  
  
Thank God he was insured. The only things he was really attached to were some pictures and letters from his parents. But he always carried them around with him. His grandmother had warned him that he would probably lose them and she told him that he should put them in a safe place in his apartment. He was glad he had ignored her advice.  
  
He looked at his watch. It was still early. Harvey would probably be fast asleep. Imagining Harvey asleep, so close by, sent a little, very pleasant shiver down his spine.  
  
Why not indulge myself?  
  
Without making a sound, he got up from the couch. Treading carefully he walked over to Harvey’s bedroom. He looked up and said a quick prayer. While holding his breath he ever so carefully pushed the door handle down. He opened the door just wide enough to see Harvey lying in bed.  
  
He knew beforehand that he would enjoy the view, but the effect it had on him exceeded his expectations.  
  
Harvey was indeed fast asleep. He was lying on his back and the white silk blanket formed the perfect background for his beautiful body. The thin line of hair that appeared from the edge of his black boxers and up his gorgeous torso completely mesmerised Mike. He felt his own body waking up in all the wrong places. Fighting off an overwhelming urge to get in there and do all kinds of things that would probably make Harvey kill him on the spot, he pulled away and gently closed the door again.  
  
He leaned against the doorframe and tried to catch his breath. He had always been attracted to Harvey. Who wouldn’t be? But he had somehow always managed to keep it at some distant level. Like how you knew some people were just drop dead gorgeous, but completely out of reach. He had never even contemplated kissing Harvey.    
  
But now that temptation had suddenly become very real and tangible. And now he found himself imagining what it would taste like to follow that trail of hair with his tongue, all the way down......  
  
Jesus Mike, get a grip! He had to snap out of it before Harvey would wake up. He needed a shower. Either very hot or very cold.  
  
And so, after a short but very effective cold shower, he walked over to the kitchen to make coffee and scrambled eggs. Making Harvey a decent breakfast was the least he could do to repay him for letting him crash on his priceless couch.  
  
While he gathered all the things he needed from the fridge he wondered if there was a way he could prolong his stay here.   
  
\--  
  
Harvey awoke to the sound of muffled cursing and the tantalizing aroma of sizzling bacon.  
  
It took him a moment to remember last night’s unexpected—and unwelcome—visitor, but his rational mind told him that Mike and the scent of breakfast cooking were somehow related. With a groan, he looked at his alarm clock, blinking repeatedly and scrubbing his hands through his mussed hair. Why was Mike up this early and more importantly, why was he making so much noise?   
  
With a groan he heaved himself out of bed and stumbled into his seldom-utilized, state-of-the-art kitchen.  
  
Mike was flipping some sort of egg concoction in a skillet, completely unaware of Harvey’s presence. Harvey spied the bacon, cooking perfectly in the pan on the stove, and the plates set out on his dining table. He adamantly ignored the feelings this setting elicited and instead went to stand blearily behind Mike.  
  
After a minute, and a loud throat clearing noise, Mike finally noticed Harvey’s presence. He jumped a bit and nearly sent the spatula flying across the room. “Jesus!”  
  
“No, just me, I’m afraid,” Harvey smirked.  
  
“Ha. Ha.” Mike returned to the skillet and began fiddling with the knobs on the stove. “Go sit down. It’s almost done.”  
  
“Mike,” Harvey said, not moving from his spot.  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“It’s five-thirty in the morning.”  
  
There was a pause before a reply came. “I know,” he defended.  
  
Harvey sighed and seated himself. After a minute or so, Mike was scraping some sort of egg scramble onto their plates, heaping bacon slices atop them, and pouring them orange juice and coffee.  
  
“This better not be because you screwed up my couch and you just don’t want me to notice,” Harvey quipped tiredly.  
  
Mike smiled around a large forkful of egg. “I screwed up your couch and I don’t want you to notice.” At Harvey’s glare, he added, “Thanks for letting me.”  
  
Harvey grunted out something that sounded almost but not entirely unlike “You’re welcome”.


	3. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own

When they got to the firm (several hours early, no thanks to Mike), Harvey went straight to his office, wanting nothing more than to get to work and not think about the blond or his amazing cooking skills and his paradoxical inability to cook bacon. He especially didn’t want to think about the way he’d looked, sleeping adorably on the couch, curled up in Harvey’s old clothes.  
  
“You’re early,” Donna said, the suspicion clear in her voice.  
  
Harvey peered up at her, his face a poor mask of disinterest.  
  
“You smell like burned bacon.” She wrinkled her nose before staring discerningly at his suit. “That’s one of your wider ties—which you only wear when you want to emphasize your dislike for Mike’s skinny ones, you both came here together in a taxi instead of calling Ray, and Mike’s wearing one of your suits—which he came in with, which would imply he put it on before he got to work. Oh my God, did he stay over last night?” she asked in an excited rush.  
  
Harvey glared at her. “Before you jump to any wild conclusions, his apartment—”  
  
“—burned down in a fire, I know,” she said all-knowingly.   
  
Harvey stared at her curiously. “How do you know these things?”   
  
“I think the more appropriate question is how wouldn’t I know these things.”  
  
Harvey gave her an imperious stare. “Are we done here? Because I would like to get some actual work done now.”  
  
“Liar,” she quipped. “By the way, Louis is on his way here.”  
  
“Well, get rid of him.”  
  
“Too late,” she smiled, and ducked out of the office. As she settled back at her desk, Harvey could see Louis approaching.  
  
“Don’t think I don’t know you did that on purpose,” Harvey muttered to the intercom in annoyance.  
  
“Did what?” Louis asked, looking suddenly nervous.  
  
Harvey barely restrained his urge to roll his eyes. “I think you know. Now get out before I tell Jessica,” he lied, not having a clue what it was Louis was afraid he knew.  
  
The man opened his mouth, finger raised in retort, before saying, “Well—” and promptly turning on his heel. As he marched out the door, Harvey laughed to himself. Louis was so easy to play.  
  
...  
  
It was already late in the afternoon when Mike walked in and it was obvious there was something on his mind. He stood in front of Harvey’s desk, shifting from one foot to the other. Harvey seemed determined to ignore him. Mike cleared his throat. Still nothing.  
  
“Eh, Harvey..”  
  
Harvey looked up from the file he was reading. “Now what?”  
  
“Well, I wondered if I, well I don’t really have a place to sleep yet......”  
  
Harvey threw the folder on his desk and leaned back in his chair. He looked at Mike with a blank expression on his face. “I’ll make this very easy for you. No.”  
  
“But I...”  
  
“What part of ‘no’ is beyond your grasp Mike?”  
  
Mike couldn’t stand it when Harvey acted like this. The fact that he didn’t want him around was already bad enough but why did he have to be so adamant about it. It made him feel inferior. Sometimes he just wanted to wipe that self righteous smile off Harvey’s face. Maybe he could kiss it off. The thought just jumped up in his mind....  
  
Before he could come up with a clever answer, Louis walked in.  
  
He stood there, arms crossed in front of him. “Mike, I can clearly see what is going on here.”  
  
Harvey turned his chair towards Louis and raised an eyebrow. He didn’t say anything. Anticipation over what was about to come was written all over his face.  
  
“Here at Pearson Hardman we take care of our own. Some senior partners seem to be unwilling to make a sacrifice. But as you know, I always take care of my herd. That is why I have decided you will stay at my house. I will of course expect you to behave and to live by my rules.”  
  
Harvey was struggling to keep a straight face. The expression on Mike’s face could only be described as sheer panic and was absolutely priceless.  
  
Mike saw Donna duck behind her desk. She apparently found some self control on the floor because she got up from her chair and walked in. This was too good not to enjoy up close and personal.  
  
Louis looked very pleased with himself. “So, you can pack your bag and report to my office in 15 minutes.”  
  
Mike had no idea how to handle this. He just knew he would rather sleep in a cardboard box than in a house where there was a very real possibility he would run into Louis naked.  
  
Donna gave Mike a warm smile. “Seems like your problem just got solved, Mike. Isn’t that nice.”  
Then she turned to Louis.  “I am sure Jessica will appreciate this very much, Louis.”   
  
Harvey picked up the folder from his desk again. “Well now we have that out of the way, you and Louis can both leave my office.”  
  
Mike looked at Harvey in bewilderment. “No, I... I can’t, I..” He wanted to scream. There was no way he was gonna stay at Louis’s place.  
  
Louis, very pleased with himself, turned around and walked away strutting like a peacock.  
  
When he turned the corner, Donna and Harvey both looked at Mike.  
  
Harvey made a shooing motion. “Why are you still here? You heard the man. Go get your bag.”  
  
“You’re so lucky, Mike,“ Donna said with a satanic smile. “Maybe you’ll even get to listen to his opera collection.”  
  
It was obvious that they both considered Mike’s upcoming nightmare to be very entertaining.  
  
Mike dropped numbly into a chair. “Oh God, how am I going to deal with this? If I turn him down he will be so offended. But there is no way I am going to stay there. I’d rather sleep on a park bench.” He buried his face in his hands and moaned.  
  
Donna looked at him and she couldn’t help but feel sorry. Just a little. She would have kissed a tarantula before ever setting foot in Louis’s house, let alone sleep there. “I am sorry, kid, but you can’t stay with me. I have this no-colleagues-in-my-house rule that I just can’t break.”  
  
Mike looked up at Harvey with desperation on his face. “Please, Harvey. I’ll do anything. Really. Anything. I don’t care. But I’m begging you...” But Mike could see on Harvey’s face that he was not going to give in.  
  
…  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Harvey was absently nibbling on his pen when Donna strode in. One look at her face and he knew exactly what she was going to say.  
  
“No,” Harvey asserted, staring pointedly at her.  
  
She didn’t speak, only looked at him with a stern expression. He had refused to waver in his decision, but as her eyebrow raised, he realized he’d already lost the battle.  
  
“Fine!” he growled irritably. “Tell him to come back here.”  
  
She looked slightly more satisfied, but didn’t leave to comply. “He left a minute ago. You go get him.”  
  
Harvey glared at her. “Are you implying that I’ll have to go to Louis’s house to get Mike back?” He shuddered at the thought.  
  
“You really want him to spend the night with Louis?” she asked rhetorically.  
  
“He said he was okay with sleeping on a park bench. What do I care?”  
  
“Harvey, he’s wearing your suit, remember?”  
  
The suit Harvey had lent him because he didn’t have any others. And it was on its way to Louis’s living quarters. Harvey started packing to leave immediately.  
  
“Glad to see you care about something other than yourself, Harvey,” Donna quipped.  
  
He gave her a focused glare to show how much he cared about that statement. “Find another solution to Mike’s problem. I don’t care what it is, just so long as it’s not my problem.”  
  
“Well, he does like sleeping on this couch,” she said pensively.  
  
He hurried out of the office after Mike and Louis, telling himself it was only because Donna would make his life miserable if he didn’t. And his suit was in jeopardy. Although, he had to admit, it had looked rather nice on Mike (it just needed a few alterations, of course). And it had been nice to see the kid in something not bought at a thrift shop. And then there was the delicious breakfast Mike had made, barring the disastrous burnt but aromatic bacon.   
  
And there was one last thing that poked at Harvey’s mind. All day he’d been remembering Mike’s back and the way he’d looked in Harvey’s old Harvard shirt and sweatpants, and the feeling that he’d somehow belonged in the apartment.  
  
\----  
  
Mike was in the middle of receiving strict instructions on how to make coffee when the doorbell rang. Louis looked surprised, if not shocked, by this apparently unfamiliar sound.  
  
He walked to the front door only to return within a minute with a very annoyed look on his face. He nodded in the direction of the door. "It's for you."  
  
Now it was Mike's turn to look bewildered. He put down the coffee cup and walked to the front door.  
  
"Harvey?"  
  
Harvey was standing outside. Mike wondered whether Louis hadn't invited him in or if Harvey had just refused to set foot in the house. Probably both. "What do you want?"  
  
"I want you to come with me."  
  
Mike couldn't help it, his heart made a little leap.  
  
"Okay." He tried very hard to hide his excitement.  
  
Harvey seemed to realize what he had just said and he immediately toned it down. "That is, I want my suit to come with me. And since you're wearing it..."  
  
Harvey’s words came crashing down on him. The sound of Mike’s hope shattering was almost audible.  
  
Mike miserably started to take off his jacket. "You know what, Harvey? I'll give you your suit. But I'm not coming. That will be a huge relief to you, no doubt. He took off his tie and started to unbutton his shirt. “I've had it with your condescending remarks. I lost my house in a fire. Sorry, okay? I am sorry that it is such an inconvenience for you."   
  
Mike's bright blue eyes had turned an angry dark blue. "For your information, Louis gave me his corporate card. Said I could take a two-thousand dollar advance on my pay. And he had his driver take me to a store so I could buy some clothes."   
  
He took off the shirt and started to unbutton his pants. "I know he doesn't do that because he’s nice, but it is sure a hell of an improvement over you. He at least knows how to treat his workers with common decency. Something you might learn from. Personally I think it should put you to shame that Louis can master more respect for me than you can."   
  
Now stripped down to his boxers, he offered Harvey his clothes. "Here, you can take your precious clothes home with you."  
  
The look he gave Harvey before closing the door on him, was one of stark disappointment.  
  
…  
  
Harvey stood in the hallway of Louis’s apartment building, which he begrudgingly had to admit was actually nice. It was so...Louis. And while it wasn’t exactly to Harvey’s tastes, he was certain that it wasn’t to Mike’s either.   
  
He’d been sure that the damned kid would leap at the chance to leave Louis’s frightening clutches, and maybe into Harvey’s arms.  
  
Instead, the only thing Harvey seemed to have recovered for his efforts was his suit. It had seemed important to save it back in the office, but now that it was no longer attached to Mike it didn’t seem worth even holding it.  
  
But he resisted the urge to throw the thing down angrily--Rene would kill him--and instead huffed his way out of the building. Apparently park benches weren’t nicer than being with Louis.


	4. Trip Through Your Wires

The next morning Mike headed straight for Donna’s cubicle. “Is he in?”

Donna got up from behind her desk and examined him from head to toe. “You’re wearing a new suit, new shoes, you smell delicious, and you look agitated. I haven’t seen Harvey yet, but Louis just passed me by when I picked up my coffee.”

She sat down again with a very dissatisfied look on her face. “Okay, tell me what went wrong here. Because you definitely did not sleep at Harvey’s and you definitely did not sleep in the park.”

“Ah, I should have known it was you who sent him over,” Mike bit out angrily. “God, I can’t stand that man sometimes.”

She shook her head while she corrected him. “Mike, you might want to watch your tone. Now, that was not an answer to my question. What went wrong?”

Mike ran a hand through his hair as he struggled to collect himself. “Well, he came over to Louis’s, alright. He said he wanted his suit to come with him.”

She rolled her eyes. “Will he ever grow up?”

“So I gave him his suit. I took it off and handed it over.”

Donna looked amused. “You got undressed in front of him? Always knew that would happen one day.”

“Yeah right,” he smirked. “Like Harvey would ever be interested.”

Her eyes lit up. “Ah, touch a nerve now, did I?”

“Oh, please! You know what? Forget I said anything,” he hissed before he turned and marched away.

‘Yep,” she nodded slowly. ”Definitely hit a nerve.”

...

Mike stayed out of Harvey’s office for the rest of the day. He persuaded Harold to take on the position as errand boy.

Mike was trying to get the work done that Louis just landed on his desk when Harold came running back for the third time in 10 minutes with the same stack of papers. “Sorry Mike, but Harvey still believes you missed something.”

Agitated, Mike threw his marker on his desk. “God, the man is such a baby!”

Harold looked like a deer that was caught in the headlights. Never would he dare to speak of the great Harvey Specter in that manner.

“I didn’t miss a thing. And Harvey knows it.” He let out an irritated groan. “Hand it over, I’ll go there myself.”

He got up from his chair, barged into Harvey’s office, and threw the files on Harvey’s desk.

“It’s all there. And you know it. So what is it?” He stood there, hands demonstratively at his sides, looking down on Harvey with a stubborn face. “Yes, I stayed at Louis’s. And yes, it freaked me out when I heard the shower running. But you know what? He was polite, and, one might even say, kind. I am glad I have a decent place to sleep. So, no, I did not sleep in the park.” He tilted his head and looked at Harvey as if he wanted to dare him to interrupt. “And I am sure you have some very clever remark to put me back in my place. Well, you can keep it. If you have a serious question regarding my work, I would love to hear it. Else, I am not interested.”

_God, why can’t he be nice just once and why do I let him get to me so much?_

Mike wanted to be stern but he suddenly felt the tears welling up. He brusquely turned around and almost stormed out.

…

Harvey rose angrily from his seat, mouth open in a witty retort. But he discarded it after a good look at Donna. She was clutching tissues and furiously motioning wiping her eyes and pointing at Mike, who, amazingly enough, hadn’t noticed the game of charades.

Mike was crying?

Harvey’s heart pulsed with an angry pang and he felt guilt overwhelm him. And worst of all, he no longer knew what to say. Sure, he knew all the cruel remarks and teasing comments of their usual banter, but sincerity wasn’t exactly the first instinct of speech for him.

“Mike,” he managed to get out, startled at the gentle quality of it.

Mike’s shoulders trembled slightly, but didn’t move.

“Good job on these,” Harvey muttered towards the pile of folders Mike had slapped down.

“Is there anything else you need, or can I get back to work?” Mike’s voice had steadied itself into a cold and professional tone.

“You,” Harvey said, almost too quietly to be heard. Mike turned his head to look curiously at him, his eyes red and watery, but not tearing. Harvey stuffed his hands in his pockets to force himself to relax and regain some composure. “You...” he repeated in an attempt to hide the yearning he’d voiced, “haven’t had lunch yet, I assume.”

Mike just stared at him, clearly unsure whether he should still be angry.

“Well, I need your help with this case. And I need lunch.”

“I’m really busy with this case for Louis,” Mike said. “And since my current lodgings depend on him, I’m working his stuff as a priority.”

“You work for _me_ ,” Harvey bit out angrily. He couldn’t quite place the possessive feeling that suddenly overwhelmed him at Mike’s words. The kid was choosing _Louis? Again?_

“Yeah, well, it’s a two-way street, Harvey.” Mike pulled the door open and stormed out.

After a minute, Donna stormed in in his place, fury on her face. Harvey looked at her and silently pleaded with her to just leave it alone.

Of course she wouldn’t. “What the hell was that?”

“He made his choice,” Harvey said and started busying himself with the mess on his desk.

“You didn’t give him one.”

He peered up at her tiredly. She was glaring at him, arms crossed and foot tapping, but her expression was not without sympathy. “What do you want me to do, Donna? He wants to work with Louis he’ll find out the same as last time that nothing comes without a price.”

“You made him cry!” she yelled at him.

“Don’t be so dramatic. He wasn’t crying.”

“He was, you know it, and you’re being an idiot.” She stalked back to her desk and started grabbing her purse and keys.

Harvey closed his eyes to reign in his ire and with a large breath called out, “Where are you going?” She didn’t answer and panic gripped him as he realized she might be heading for a certain balding lawyer who was ruining his life. “Don’t tell me you’re Team Louis, now.”

She gave an incredulous sniff. “As if. But clearly you don’t deserve my greatness. Let me know when you stop being a big baby.”

“Donna!” Harvey called after her. But she just kept walking.

Well, he wasn’t going to chase after her. Harvey Specter chased after no one.

He retook his seat and turned his full attention on his work. If Donna wanted to leave, then he’d let her. He could handle things just fine without her. And he certainly didn’t need Mike. Hell, he hadn’t even wanted an associate to begin with. And see if Harvey cared if Jessica came after him again. The kid wanted to be with Louis? Fine. Soon enough, he’d come running back and begging to be with Harvey.

He was more than capable of being completely awesome on his own.

The phone rang.

“Donna!” he called instinctively, before remembering she’d left him.

The phone rang again.

He looked at it with distaste.

The phone ra--

Harvey pulled the cord out of it, knocking the infernal thing over and causing the receiver to fall to the floor. He looked up to find Jessica standing in his doorway. She looked at him, then to Donna’s desk, and finally to the mess of folders littered with Mike’s handwriting and unique color-coded highlighting.

“Whatever it is,” she began, and he readied his usual denial for when she had that knowing look, “Fix it. Now.” She walked away.

He stood abruptly, letting the phone fall to the floor with a crash, and didn’t bother to straighten his tie. He was going to get Mike back. And Donna. He’d done it before, and against worse foes than Louis, and he was going to get things back to normal.

But he had a plan. And he had to follow the plan.

...

Mike sat down behind his desk. He was still trembling inside. There was a battle being fought out in his mind. The anger over Harvey’s disinterest was the loudest, the sadness over that same disinterest the most desperate, but it was the silent wonder about the soft and gentle tone in which Harvey had said ‘you’ that came out victorious.

Without giving it a conscious thought he acted on his gut instinct. He got up from his chair, walked over to Harvey’s office, and opened the door.

Harvey was sitting behind his desk. A whole range of emotions appeared on Harvey’s face but Mike ignored them.

He stood in front of him and just when Harvey opened his mouth to say something, Mike bent over, grabbed Harvey by his tie, and planted a deep and passionate kiss on him.

Then he let go, and without saying a word he turned and left the office as suddenly as he had come in. Mike didn’t look back but walked straight to his cubicle, grabbed his bag, and headed for the elevators. He knew he would probably die of shame the next time he would have to face Harvey. Not only because he kissed him. But above all because Harvey had not made the slightest attempt to return it.


	5. So Cruel

Mike was making dinner in Louis’s kitchen. Louis did have a great apartment. It wasn’t to Mike’s taste but it was spotless and in some weird way it was cozy. And it had a great kitchen which was actually being used.  
  
Louis was still obnoxious. Especially when he shared his visions on Pearson Hardman and the world with Mike. But staying at his house wasn’t nearly as bad as Mike had anticipated.   
  
Of course there would be a catch, or some unpleasant surprise if he stayed too long. Although Harvey always referred to Mike as ‘kid’, which Mike detested, he wasn’t that naïve. Louis couldn’t stay nice if his life depended on it. He would always come up with some devious plan, because he just didn’t trust people who were kind to him. Which was really kind of sad, Mike thought.   
  
But for now, everything still seemed to be okay and Mike hadn’t detected any boobytraps. So he thought that the least he could do for Louis was make him a decent meal. He knew Louis was a very picky eater so he really had done his best to take into account all of his allergies and dislikes.   
  
Louis walked into the kitchen and threw a suspicious look at all the pots and pans that were heating on the stove. “What are you doing? You know I have allergies right? Are you trying to poison me? So you can take advantage of my feeble state?”  
  
Mike had to bite his lip not to laugh out loud. He was sure Louis meant something else entirely but the idea of Mike throwing himself at Louis was just too funny. Mike throwing himself at Harvey on the other hand..... _Oh my God, I still can’t believe I did that._  
  
When he relived the moment his lips met Harvey’s and he tasted him, his heart made a free fall.  
  
Louis’s voice came calling from miles away. “Mike? Mike, when will this be ready?”  
  
He kicked himself back into reality. “Sorry Louis, my mind just drifted off for a moment. It will be served in ten minutes.” Still not completely convinced, Louis threw another suspicious look at Mike before heading for the living room.  
  
While Mike was putting the last touches on the dishes, his phone made an ‘incoming message’ sound. It was Donna.  
  
 _Found you an apartment, just around the corner from my building. Small but clean. I know what’s on your paycheck so I know you can afford it. You can move in tomorrow. Don’t think you can come over for coffee just because you live close by. I expect you to thank me profusely later._  
  
Mike felt his heart make a little leap of joy. The woman was truly amazing. He typed a reply.  
 _If I was straight I would be on my knees offering you a way too expensive ring. And I promise profusely that will be a poor way to describe my thank you._  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Mike and Louis were sitting across from each other at the dining table.   
  
“I must admit Mike. This isn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”   
  
Mike smiled. He knew he had outdone himself. It was delicious. “I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate what you have done for me Louis. I know it is not a small sacrifice to give up the privacy of your own home. Which by the way, is very nice.”  
  
Louis just nodded, not sure how to react to Mike’s kind words.  
  
Mike imagined for a moment what the expression on Harvey’s face would be if he could see the two of them sitting together at the table, enjoying the dinner Mike had prepared.   
  
“But I do not want to impose on your hospitality any longer, so I found an apartment. Well, actually the awesome Donna found it for me. It’s small but it’s clean, in a decent neighbourhood, and I can move in tomorrow. I just want you to know that I will not forget this, Louis. I know we don’t always agree and no doubt we will clash over something again in the future. But my appreciation stands.”  
  
Louis seemed very busy inspecting the food on his plate. He mumbled a sort of ‘thank you’ and took a very large sip of his wine.  
  
Mike smiled. Louis could be quite adorable. But he still wouldn’t touch him with a ten foot pole.   
  
\--  
  
Harvey was confused. At least, he thought he was confused. The emotion wasn’t one he experienced often and so he had reserved a few doubts on its authenticity. But he was certain he must be feeling something akin to confusion.  
  
He replayed the scene in his mind once more in a futile attempt to understand what the hell had happened.  
  
He remembered Mike angrily storming out of his office to go work for Louis of all people. Then he remembers Donna storming off to do whatever it was she did when she wasn’t here. Then his phone had attempted to ruin his life when Jessica walked in and scolded him.  
  
He looked over tiredly at the damned phone which now lay in pieces on his office floor. The stupid thing was unplugged and torn apart, but Harvey swore he could still hear something ringing in his office.  
  
After the whole mess of the afternoon, he’d attempted to continue working on his cases, but he’d been too busy plotting about how to stop the damned ringing in his office and how to get Donna and Mike back. Not that he actually needed them, but it would make life go smoother.  
  
He’d finally got around to formulating the execution aspect of his plan when Mike burst into his office, yanked on Harvey’s silk tie, and smashed his lips into Harvey’s. Saying Mike had surprised him would be a grievous understatement. But then the kid had forced his tongue into Harvey’s mouth quite enthusiastically and Harvey had really been shocked. So shocked he hadn’t even thought about kissing the man back.  
  
But before he could begin to process what had happened, Mike had run from the room, anger still clear on his features.   
  
As the phone rang again from the depths of his office, he was glad Donna hadn’t been present for that intimate moment.   
  
So there he sat, still somewhat stunned from Mike’s actions. He realized he no longer had a clue as to what to do next. As usual, Mike was the complication to the problem.  
  
He licked at his lips absentmindedly, as he did often when thinking on a crisis, and found himself immediately remembering the taste of Mike’s lips: too much coffee and a faint taste of plastic, as though he’d been noshing on highlighters for hours.  
  
He couldn’t believe the kid had had the guts to make the first move. But then, this was Mike--always defying expectations.  
  
But did he feel the same way? He wasn’t necessarily attracted to Mike. Sure, he’d sneaked a peek back at his apartment the other night, but it hadn’t been planned. And Mike’s kiss, while indeed impassioned, hadn’t exactly sent sparks flying. And who would want to introduce the mess of a relationship at work? He and Donna certainly hadn’t ever...  
  
And suddenly Harvey realized that he couldn’t return Mike’s feelings. He would just have to go to the man and end things before they could ever begin. Harvey didn’t have room in his life for the well of emotions Mike was so attached to. It didn’t matter what Harvey felt; it was impractical and irresponsible and unprofessional.   
  
With a sigh, Harvey stood from his chair, eye twitching as the mysterious ringing sounded once again in his ear. He could tell Mike tonight, but that would involve going to Louis’s apartment. Better if he waited until tomorrow.   
  
But they had work tomorrow. And Harvey didn’t know how Mike would react. It would be better for everyone, ultimately, if he let Mike down as soon as possible.  
  
With a steely expression, he packed his things and headed for Louis’s. He dragged his hand through his hair, not noticing the mess he was making of it, nor the way that his tie was still scrunched from Mike’s grip on it earlier. He was doing the smart thing, he reassured himself.  
  
He tried to ignore the painful squeezing sensation of his heart being crushed the whole way there.  
  
\--  
  
When the doorbell rang, Mike felt a mild panic attack quickly rising in his gut. He was almost certain it was Harvey. The realisation of what he had done was only now starting to sink in. He had felt almost dizzy ever since he had kissed Harvey and every time he relived the kiss his heart made a little flutter. But now that he was confronted with the very real possibility of facing the consequences of his actions, it hit him full force. Mike desperately wanted to be able to turn back time.   
  
Because reality was, that no matter how gratifying it had felt to finally kiss that beautiful mouth, Harvey hadn’t returned his passion. At all.  
  
And now he was at the door. And he would be pissed. Or insulted. Or worse.  
  
Louis came walking back in, agitation clear on his face. "It’s him. Again.” Mike excused himself and while trying to control his breathing, somehow made it to the front door.  
  
Harvey still had a steely expression on his face.  He did not waste a second. “Mike, I don’t know what possessed you this afternoon but I am willing to treat it as temporary insanity. That said, it better be a one time thing because I will not tolerate it a second time. I am sure you realise that the thought of me ever being interested in you is preposterous.  If you ever pull a stunt like that again, I will kick you out so fast that you won’t know what hit you. And no Donna or Louis will be able to save you. I expect you to be at work tomorrow at seven-thirty sharp.  And one more thing. I don’t want you to ever prioritize Louis’s work over mine again. That will also be grounds for immediate dismissal.” He turned and marched away.   
  
Harvey could not have hurt him more if he had beaten him senseless.   
  
Mike tried to calm himself down before returning to the warm comfort of the living room but he couldn’t. He did not know what to do. The tears were streaming down his face and he knew he couldn’t face Louis. He would never hear the end of it.   
  
Mike had known in his heart that Harvey would turn him down. The thought that Harvey could be intrested was indeed preposterous. But the cold cruelty with which Harvey had made that clear had torn at the seams of his heart. Mike just could not understand why Harvey had to be so ruthless.   
  
While he stood there figuring out what to do next he heard Louis clearing his throat behind him. He began in a very annoyed voice.” I do hope this is the last time...” but stopped mid-sentence when he saw the tears on Mike’s face. Clearly not knowing how to handle this unexpected turn of events he started to stutter. “I .. uh.. well..”  
  
Mike tried to master a smile. “Sorry for all this, Louis. Really. Please accept my sincere apology that you had to witness this. I’ll be gone tomorrow and I promise you, Harvey won’t be back.” He quivered when he said those last words.   
  
He looked at Louis through his tears. “Would I be overstaying my welcome if I asked you for a very large drink?”  
  
Louis rolled his eyes and sighed. “I knew that either one of you would start causing trouble.” But the hurt on Mike’s face touched the little piece of humanity hiding somewhere in him. “Well, since this is your last evening, I guess I can spare one drink.”  
  
Mike followed him back to the living room and found himself so utterly alone inside that he was grateful for Louis’s obnoxious company.   
  
He would be there tomorrow morning. At 7:30 on the dot. And he would do his job. But it would hurt for weeks to come.   
  
Mike prayed that the universe would be considerate of his pain. And not make him face Harvey flirting with anyone because that would be too much. He would leave. **  
**


	6. Do You Feel Loved

Harvey slugged back his third glass of scotch and angrily slammed the the glass on the bar. The woman he'd been flirting with flinched suddenly and Harvey found himself thinking of a certain blond-haired blue-eyed individual.  
  
Mike's face had looked crestfallen at Harvey's mere appearance, and Harvey had had to force the steely guise before he forgot his intentions and pulled Mike out by his ugly skinny tie.  
  
But Mike had had tears in his eyes as Harvey's forced words had been uttered. He hadn't wanted to say them, truthfully, but he knew they were the right decision. He had to remain professional.  
  
"Harvey?" His female companion asked in moderate concern.  
  
He shook his head at her. "Sorry." Mike kept popping up in his brain, distracting him. He couldn't stop himself from wondering, if he'd kissed Mike back, would it have been so bad?  
  
He wasn't attracted to him, though. At least, he shouldn't be. They were co-workers, and Harvey was in a position of power over Mike. That wouldn't be right. It wouldn't be professional.  
  
But this definitely didn't feel right, either. It hadn't felt right when Louis had offered Mike his place, instead of Harvey offering, and it hadn't felt right when Mike had chosen Louis's work over Harvey's. It had felt gut-wrenchingly miserable when Mike had started sniffling in his office and stormed out, and it had felt like Hell when Harvey had yelled at him a few hours ago and taken one good look at Mike's face.  
  
What was he even doing here? He couldn't remember how he'd gotten here. Nor was he certain of how he'd ended up sitting with this girl. Now that he looked at her, she almost resembled Mike. She was tall and skinny and blonde with blue eyes. But she didn't have any of the wit or warmth of his associate.  
  
"I have to go," he told her, much to both their surprise.   
  
He stood, but didn't move, not entirely sure what he was doing.  
  
She put money enough for the both of them on the bar, and before Harvey could protest, said, "It's okay. I've been around the block enough to recognize the look on your face. Go get her back." And then she walked away, leaving Harvey amazed and confused. How were women so emotionally intuitive all the time?  
  
Harvey finally realized he didn't want an associate to show up to work tomorrow. He wanted his friend. He wanted Mike.   
  
Suddenly remembering Donna's earlier scolding, he instantly sobered enough to hail a cab. It was time to stop being a big baby, as she'd called him, and get over himself. If Harvey Specter wanted something, he got it. And he never let anybody tell him otherwise.  
  
...  
  
Harvey knocked on the mahogany door of Louis's overly fancy apartment. He waited impatiently, only faintly aware that it was about one o'clock in the morning.  
  
A rather exasperated looking Louis opened the door. "What is your problem?"  
  
Harvey ignored his question, peering past Louis into the dark of his apartment in search of that familiar figure.   
  
Louis stepped out angrily and pulled the door shut behind him, arms crossed. Harvey finally acknowledged the man, noticing that not only was Louis shirtless, but he was wearing blue boxer-briefs with kittens on them and a matching sleep cap. It was only a sign of how focused Harvey was on Mike that he didn't even consider laughing.   
  
"Harvey, while you may think of yourself as our city's dark knight, the rest of humanity does require an average eight hours of sleep."  
  
"I need to see Mike," Harvey bit out.  
  
Louis crossed his arms with a huff. "Tch. The last two times you saw him he ended up half naked and drunk."  
  
"I really didn't need to know that," Harvey managed.  
  
"Yeah, you do. You made him cry--"  
  
"Why does everyone keep saying that?"  
  
"Just leave him alone."  
  
Harvey was surprised, and though he'd never admit it, a bit impressed, at Louis's protectiveness. "What do you care?"  
  
"I may treat the associates badly, Harvey, but contrary to popular belief I don't make it my mission to destroy them outside of work."  
  
Harvey hadn't made it his mission, had he? But Louis was right. He'd gone here with the purpose of rejecting Mike and reverting their relationship to what it had never really been: completely and coldly professional.  
  
"Goodnight, Harvey," Louis said and opened his door.  
  
Harvey caught it just before it closed. "Wait. Please."  
  
Louis looked surprised at the sincerity of Harvey's voice, but suspicion was still plastered to his face.  
  
"You're right, Louis. I just...I need to talk to him."  
  
Louis seemed to consider his words carefully before relaxing the stiff set of his shoulders. "He's asleep."  
  
"I'll wait," Harvey said firmly. And while he did, he could think on how to fix this mess.  
  
...  
  
When the first rays of sunlight started to peek through Louis's astonishingly unpretentious windows, Harvey heard Mike stir. He had sat outside Louis's guest bedroom for hours, running his hand through his hair and wrinkling his suit. His tie was askew, his mouth tasted like booze, and his head pounded faintly. But his resolve, amazingly enough, hadn't shaken.   
  
He heard the water running in the sink and he felt some mysterious cocktail of emotions flood his chest. He'd been through every word he'd said to the kid the night before and he'd come up with an endless list of half-apologies. But nothing fit. As usual, Mike wasn't something he was prepared for.   
  
Finally, the click of the lock sounded and Mike emerged, red-eyed and hunched with deep bags under his eyes and a sad tint to his pallor. He stopped in the hallway as soon as he noticed Harvey sitting there.  
  
Harvey stood, staring intensely at Mike as the kid blinked sleepily at him. There was an awful hint of fear and hurt and loathing in his eyes as he gazed back at Harvey.  
  
"It's not 7:30 yet," Mike said in mocking tone.  
  
Harvey took a step forward.  
  
"I...I don't care," Harvey began.  
  
"Yeah, I got that part," Mike interrupted angrily.  
  
"About what I said before." Harvey could see Mike's fantastically impossible brain trying to interpret that statement. "I care about..."  
  
Mike leaned forwards a minute amount, and Harvey wasn't even sure he'd done it consciously, but it was enough of a good sign for him to continue with his revolutionary declaration.  
  
"Us," Harvey finished.  
  
Mike looked him over darkly. "Is that supposed to make everything better? I kissed you, Harvey, and I'm sorry. It was unprofessional of me. It didn't mean anything anyway."  
  
"I don't think I'm explaining this right," Harvey muttered.  
  
"You really don't need to. I think I heard you pretty clearly last night."  
  
"No, you didn't. Look. I don't care about the kiss or your feelings towards me. Just, take the day off and come back tomorrow and we can pretend like nothing ever happened." Harvey pleaded silently with Mike, hoping he would accept. He didn't think Donna would work for him anytime soon if Mike was mad at him. And he could still the nightmarish ringing of the phone in his ear.  
  
But Mike didn't look elated as Harvey had predicted. He looked offended and resigned. "Fine. I'll do your stupid work for you and I'll show up on time. I don't need the day off. I get it, Harvey."  
  
"I don't think you do," he said.  
  
Mike's anger flared. "Well maybe you can explain it to me, then."  
  
Harvey was getting frustrated, and he was tired from the lack of sleep and the start of a hangover. "Look, I just want things to be normal."  
  
"I thought you liked life here," Mike gestured a height by his head.   
  
"Not when it comes to you."  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Fine?" Harvey asked.  
  
"You win, Harvey. Just like always. I'll see you at the office. I'm sorry that I had feelings for you. In fact, I'm glad this happened. Now I know just how much of an idiot I was to fall for an emotionless egotistical dick."  
  
Harvey frowned as Mike pushed out of Louis's apartment, his few belongings shoved haphazardly in his hands.  
  
Harvey stood in the hallway, feeling miserable for some reason he couldn't place. He'd felt the tiniest bit of hurt when Mike implied he no longer had feelings for Harvey. Why did it bother him so much?  
  
"Well done," Louis said from the living room.  
  
"Shut up," Harvey said with a fierce glare and followed Mike out.  
  
...  
  
“I have to go and see Donna first,” Mike said when they stepped outside.   
  
Harvey wasn’t sure whether he appreciated the close friendship these two had apparently developed in the last few days. It felt like they were teaming up on him. Which they probably were. “Why?”  
  
“Because she found me an apartment. So if it’s alright with you I will take you up on your earlier offer. If I can have the day off, I can sign the lease, buy some necessities, like furniture, and get settled.”  
  
“Sure. I’ll ask the driver to drop you off at Donna’s.”  
  
“I think I’ll just take my own cab.”  
  
The distance between them was tangible. The warmth that used to exist between the two men had given way to the morning cold. Harvey was feeling oddly morose this morning.   
  
Mike hailed a cab and without so much as a glance at Harvey, got in. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”  
  
Harvey decided he needed a shower and fresh clothes. And some sleep. Pearson Hardman would have to manage without either of them for a day.


	7. Love and Peace or Else

When Harvey arrived at work the next morning it looked like just another day at the office. Donna was sitting behind her desk, Mike at his cubicle. As usual, the man was hunched over some files, headphones on and highlighter in the corner of his mouth.  
  
On the surface, it all seemed like perfectly normal behavior. But he could feel in his gut that it was false. Something had shifted for both him and Mike. And it could not be undone. At least it sure felt that way.  
  
Donna looked up at him when he approached. Instead of handing him his coffee, she got up from her chair, walked into his office and put the carton cup on his desk. She sat down, legs and arms crossed regally, and waited for him to take his seat.  
  
He looked at her, unsure whether he should protest or just give in. He finally decided on the latter, sat down, picked up his coffee, and braced himself for what was to come.  
  
“First of all, I am glad you came to your senses.” She smiled. It was a kind and warm smile. She knew it hadn’t been easy for him to swallow his pride and push his considerable ego aside. “You almost make me proud.”  
  
The look in her green eyes turned serious, something that he rarely got to see. It wasn’t some variation of the scolding, patronizing, or know-it-all look she usually threw at him when she wanted to make a point.  
  
She continued in a deceptively sweet voice. “Now, I know about the kiss and its aftermath. But what I don’t know is why you were such an idiot as to not express the feelings you fail so badly at keeping secret.”  
  
He rolled his eyes at her, but before he could get a word in edgewise, she had started up again. “Now, if you don’t return his feelings, fine. But the least you could do, as a mentor and a human being, is be honest with him and let the wound heal on its own. But if this whole thing is because of some stupid outdated crap about professionalism…” She took a deep breath and donned a rather grave expression. “Either way, Harvey, you’ve got to act. Before you lose him.”  
  
Waiting for an answer, she leaned back in her chair. Harvey did not say a word. He knew there was more to come.  She paused for a moment before dropping another bomb.  
  
“You better figure your feelings out fast, Harvey, because Mike’s a hot item and he’s for sale.”  
  
“I never want to hear that metaphor again,” Harvey grimaced in an attempt to regain some composure. He was fairly certain he knew what Donna was about to do.  
  
She glared at him before continuing. “Well, the rather attractive, smart, neighbor of Mike’s new apartment is single and very interested in him. And I’m going to tell Mike about him if you don’t hurry up and stop all the pining for each other.”  
  
“No one is pining for anyone!” Harvey declared, intensely angry all of the sudden.  
  
“Well, Mike is pining away after you,” Donna started. Harvey frowned in confusion at the warm glow in his stomach at the thought of Mike still being interested in him. It wasn’t like Harvey actually wanted the man to have such feelings for him. He certainly could never return them. There was no real reason why Mike _shouldn’t_ be with this neighbor. It was none of Harvey’s business.  
  
“Listen, either you--”  
  
“Morning,” Mike said as he barged in. His blue eyes looked a little brighter than they had recently, and there was even a faint smile on his face. “Am I interrupting something?”  
  
Donna got up from her chair trying very hard to hide her irritation. “No, that’s okay Mike. We’re pretty much done here.” She threw Harvey a questioning look. “Aren’t we, Harvey?”  
  
Harvey ignored her remark and turned his attention to Mike. “What can I do for you?”  
  
...  
  
Mike sat down on the couch and threw a stack of files on the table. “Here you go. All the case files from last week. Finished.” That was no small feat. Even for someone with a brain like his.  
  
Mike could see that Harvey was impressed. “I thought I had to make up for working for Louis. Don’t want to get fired now, do I?” he said with a slightly sarcastic undertone, not caring if the hurt still played in his voice.  
  
Mike leaned back into the couch. He loved that couch. He always felt at home when he sat there. He remembered the moments he had spent in that spot, seemingly at work but secretly watching Harvey looking devastatingly handsome as usual. Whether he’d been going over cases, playing with his pen, even when he wore a frown above his beautiful brown eyes as he figured out ways to outsmart everybody. How could anybody not fall in love with that man?  Well, Mike had. And it had made him more miserable than he had been in a very long time.  
  
But at least he knew now, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it was never going to happen. Mike had never in his life gotten such a cold response to a kiss. It had made a big dent in his ego. And Harvey’s coldhearted reaction hadn’t exactly boosted his self esteem.  
  
So Mike had decided that kindness had become the absolute number one on his list. Donna and Louis had been genuinely kind to him when he was miserable. And that was no match for lust. No matter how devastatingly gorgeous the man in question might be.  
  
The only thing that kept nagging at him was that he knew, deep down, that Harvey was kind. Warm, giving, and kind. He immediately pushed that knowledge back in a little drawer that was buried in the back of his mind. If he gave in to it, he would be lost all over again.  
  
Somehow the fact that Harvey had been such a dick had actually helped him to get over his crush. At least now he could hang on to that shell of cruelty as a reason to not love him with the same all consuming-fire that had burnt his house to the ground.  
  
He would be okay now. Keep it professional. Mike would prove that he was a good student. He would handle their relationship the Specter way. Do not get attached.  
  
He could do this.  
  
...  
  
Harvey let Mike’s sharp sting of words sink their teeth into him. He deserved it.  
  
“I deserve that,” he said with a small smile. He watched as Mike settled into the couch like he always did. It was starting to get a groove in it in the shape of Mike’s butt, the man was on it so much.  
  
Harvey took a seat at his desk in the hopes of moving this awkward moment along. But as he took his seat he recalled the other night when Mike had rushed in, grabbed Harvey by his tie, and passionately kissed him. For some awful reason, it was all Harvey could think of. And all he could feel about it was regret.  
  
“Do you need help moving?” Harvey asked.  
  
Mike glared at him and stood. “No I get it. I’ll find some more work to do.”  
  
“With your apartment, Mike.”  
  
Mike stopped and looked confused for a moment before understanding dawned on his face. “Oh. I thought...”  
  
“It’s okay,” Harvey reassured.  
  
Mike coughed and tugged at the knot of his tie. “Well, pretty much all of my stuff is now ash and cinders, so...”  
  
“Nothing? You have nothing left?” Harvey asked him, finally realizing just how bad a position Mike was in when he’d shown up at Harvey’s door that night.  
  
“Nope. Nothing. Well, except the panda, but it’s kind of blackened around the edges now.” Mike fiddled with the hem of his jacket.  
  
Harvey stuffed his hands in his pockets, not sure how to respond without sounding like an ass.  
  
Mike also seemed to feel awkward. “Well, I guess I’ll just...I think Harold needed help with something for Jessica. I’ll just go do that.”  
  
“Right,” Harvey said and returned to his work. Mike took a step out the door, but was intercepted by Donna.  
  
“Mike. Can I talk to you about Kevin later?” Donna asked, glancing meaningfully at Harvey.  
  
Mike seemed nervous at her question and whisked his eyes between Harvey and Donna. “Uh, yeah, sure I guess.”  
  
“Actually, really quickly, what do you think of him?”  
  
Mike shuffled his feet. “Well, uh, he’s a really nice...”  
  
“New neighbor?” Donna finished for him.  
  
Mike nodded.  
  
“You don’t think he’s...too tall? Too handsome?”  
  
Mike shook his head and gave a small laugh. “Donna. He’s perfect. Really. Thanks for--”  
  
“Introducing you?” Donna stared at Harvey as she said, “It was my pleasure. I hope you two are happy together.”  
  
As both Mike and Donna made their way out, Harvey found himself tightly gripping his pen with both hands. Harvey didn’t care that way about Mike, maybe, but he needed to make sure that whomever Mike dated, they were acceptable.  
  
And this Kevin person was most definitely not qualified to speak to someone like Mike, let alone be kissed by him. But Harvey couldn’t go about things the wrong way again. He needed a way to both keep Mike single and out of the path of self-destructing sinking anchors while preserving the friendship they shared.  
  
Basically, Harvey needed a plan--a new and much better plan than the last one.  
  
But first, he’d need that panda picture Mike was so fond of...

\--

When Harvey passed Donna on the way to Jessica’s office he found Mike there. While he walked by he couldn’t help but overhear their conversation.

“So...now that you’ve had a proper chance to get acquainted, what do you think about Kevin?”

Mike laughed. Harvey tried to remind himself that Mike’s laughter was the same annoying sound as everyone else’s and not special and charming in any fashion. “Well, he’s a bit taller than I had expected, to tell the truth.”

Harvey smirked, somehow elated at the flaw Mike had found in this jerk.

“Yeah, but he’s a great listener. You should give him a try,” Donna suggested sincerely.

“Donna, I’m not going to talk to Kevin about work. My life here is bad enough without embarrassing myself further in front of the other associates.”

Mike’s life was bad here? Harvey wondered with a frown. But it wasn’t always. Was it?

“Well, why don’t you take him home, then? I’m sure he’d fit right in at your place.”

“Uh, I’ll think about it.”

“You do that,” Donna said with a rather shockingly lewd wink.

Harvey attempted not to gape at the lengths this woman would go to to prove a point. Not that Harvey cared. After all, Mike’s love life was none of his concern. Unless, of course, this moron Kevin turned out to be some sort of nefarious criminal from whom Harvey would have to rescue Mike. Then he cared.

And judging by Mike’s past relationships, both friend and lover...

Harvey stalked off before he lost his temper in public. He’d already just about gone crazy the other day and he really didn’t need a repeat of those events. He would simply have to execute his ingenious plan. 

Of course, it would be much easier to execute it if he knew what it was.


	8. A Sort of Homecoming

When Mike sat down on his cheap temporary folding chair that evening, he put his feet up, opened a bottle of beer, and swept his gaze through his new apartment with a satisfied look. It was almost starting to feel like home, though the walls needed some decoration and he was mostly without furniture. Then he remembered that he had left the panda on his desk. Although it was the weekend, Mike considered picking up the charred picture the next day. Somehow that stupid thing would be the finishing touch.  
  
His thoughts trailed back to his encounter with Harvey that morning. It had been a little awkward but it had also been...nice. Harvey had been kind. Or at least he’d tried to be. He’d even offered to help. Mike pushed the little drawer in the back of his mind that was labeled “Harvey is kind” shut again and decided he needed a lock on it.   
  
Mike wasn’t one to hold a grudge. And he desperately wanted things to return to normal again.  
He figured it would be easier to settle things outside of work, without Louis or Jessica looking over his shoulder.   
  
Since it would be Saturday the next day, maybe Mike could invite Harvey over for breakfast. And if Harvey still wanted to help, he could assist Mike in purchasing the last couple of necessities for his new place. He still needed a decent bed; he had borrowed an air mattress but his back was starting to protest violently.   
  
There was one problem though. Chances were that Harvey would not spend his Friday evening alone. And Harvey would never kick someone out in the middle of the night. He was too much of a gentleman. But Mike sure as hell wasn’t going to make breakfast for Harvey and his lover. He wasn’t quite that comfortable with his being rejected for that door to be open anytime soon.  
  
He weighed his options while taking a sip of his cold beer. Then he decided that he had made so many careless moves already in the last couple of days, one more wouldn’t make a difference. But this time he would leave it up to Harvey.  
  
He got out his phone and texted him the invitation. _Can I take you up on your offer to help me move? Still need to buy a few things. I’ll make you breakfast first. Promise to keep an eye on the bacon. Tomorrow morning at 10, my place?_  
  
 _\--_  
  
Harvey pressed the buzzer for Mike’s new building, which was so much nicer than his previous place that it actually had a buzzer. As he waited for Mike to let him in the building, he stared at the tenant directory list on the wall. It appeared there was indeed someone in the building named Kevin. Harvey immediately disliked him.  
  
The buzzer sounded startlingly and the door latch pulled back. Harvey stepped through and into the working elevator where he made his way to the sixth floor.  
  
At the end of the hall was Mike’s place. Donna most definitely had performed her usual magic in order to get this place for the price Mike could afford. The woman could have been anything, but Harvey was glad she was his assistant. He shuddered to think what life would be like without her, even when she made his life at the office miserable for personal vendettas.  
  
After a knock and a call to wait a minute, Mike pulled open the door looking more nervous than ever.  
  
Harvey couldn’t help but run his eyes over his associate’s slim form. The man was wearing worn jeans and a stretched T-shirt, his hair messy and his feet bare. He looked...sexy. Harvey swallowed down the mixture of conflicting emotions he was feeling. He couldn’t afford to not show any emotions here, but he could prevent the wrong ones from surfacing.  
  
“I brought this, among other things,” Harvey said, handing Mike a few extra packets of bacon and setting a large box of items down on the floor.  
  
Mike stared at the bacon for a whole minute before laughing. “Oh ye of little faith.”  
  
“I figured if you get it right the first time, we can enjoy lots of bacon. If not, well, at least you’ll get some practice in,” Harvey said with relief, his usual charming grin forming comfortably on his face.  
  
Mike shut the door behind Harvey and headed into the small area of what Harvey guessed was the kitchen.   
  
“Feel free to look around. I haven’t figured out where everything is gonna go yet,” Mike called from the kitchen.  
  
Harvey noticed the two rooms branching out from the living room and the bathroom opposite one of them. The living room was fairly spacious, though the bedrooms seemed small and the bathroom even more cramped. But all in all it was a pretty great apartment for this price in New York. And it was much closer to both Harvey’s place and the firm than Mike’s old apartment.  
  
 _What does it matter how close he is to me?_ Harvey thought with a frown.  
  
From the kitchen came familiar sizzling sounds and the delicious scent of not-yet-burning bacon. Harvey smiled at the memory of the domestic scene a few days ago; Mike was laughing as he shoved a forkful of eggs into his mouth while Harvey guzzled down his mug of coffee and enjoyed the banter and the food.  
  
Harvey shook his head to clear it of the memory, but it wouldn’t leave. He suddenly felt a fierce longing in his chest at the thought that he could have had that moment again and he’d blown it.  
  
He forced the regret down and marched quietly to the box he’d lugged with him, making sure Mike didn’t hear anything suspicious. He popped off the lid and pulled out the level, the hammer, and the nail he’d purchased, and Mike’s charred panda picture. Harvey had had it framed anew and fixed up, though the whole thing had cost more than the picture was actually worth. It wasn’t a painting, but a cheap crappy print. Yet to fix it, Harvey had hired an expert to paint over the original so it looked even better than before. He could only hope that Mike would approve.  
  
Attempting to be quiet, Harvey headed over to where he thought the breakfast nook would be and where Mike had set up a folding table with a cloth on it. It was set for the two of them and Harvey carefully dragged the thing from the wall so as not to mess it up.  
  
The nail would be the hardest since it would produce the most noise, but Harvey had planned to knock something over to disguise the sound.  
  
In the end, Mike was too busy in the kitchen, probably lost in a focused attempt to properly cook the bacon, to even notice Harvey’s handiwork.  
  
Harvey removed the level once he was certain it wasn’t crooked and stepped back to admire his work. It looked perfect. Now this place had that Mike Ross look to it.  
  
He sniffed at the delicious odors wafting from the kitchen and headed dreamily for the source.  
  
Mike was standing with his back to Harvey, madly overturning the bacon with his spatula and completely unaware of Harvey’s presence. Harvey stared at the man he’d turned down, at the man he’d befriended, the man he had hurt, and in that moment, one thing was clear: he wanted Mike.  
  
“Earth to Harvey,” Mike said with a snicker and a snap of his fingers. “Hey, um, Harvey?” he asked when the man didn’t respond and continued to stare intensely at him. “Hello?”  
  
And before Harvey could even think about answering, he was pressing Mike up against the counter and pushing his hands against Mike’s hips.  
  
“What--”  
  
Harvey kissed him, as fiercely and desperately as he could. When Mike’s lips parted slightly in surprise, Harvey dove further in, searching for something he couldn’t name.


	9. Hold me, Thrill me, Kiss me, Kill me

Mike froze. His brain made a desperate but futile attempt to make sense of what was happening but the only thing that his mind seemed willing to take in was the feeling of Harvey’s lips on his. For one short moment he gave in to the kiss with all the passion he had so desperately tried to bury.  
  
But somehow his brain managed to make another very powerful connection. Fear.  
  
Mike reacted immediately. He pushed Harvey away from him and stumbled backwards to the living room. While he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand to get rid of the taste of Harvey’s lips, he looked at Harvey with a mixture of shock and bewilderment.  
  
”What are you doing?” His voice was trembling and he felt like the ground was moving beneath his feet.  “Have you gone insane? What is this?” With every word he said, the rage inside him  grew. “Is this some kind of joke to you?” The anger had settled in his voice now. “Is there absolutely no limit to your…” Then he saw the panda.  
  
He fell silent. He stared at the picture for at least a minute. All shiny and new. No trace left of the devastation it had gone through. Harvey had found it, made it perfect again, and had hung it on his wall.  
  
He reached for it and took it off the wall. As he gently caressed it with his fingers he finally continued. His voice was soft now.  
  
“It must be a wonderful feeling, Harvey. That you have the answer to every problem. A plan for every contingency. If something is broke, you just get someone to fix it. Whether it’s the guy who restored this picture or it’s Donna or Louis who helped me out. And once it’s fixed you can come in and everything is okay again. Is that why you kissed me? Give him back his panda and he’s home again? Give him the kiss he so desperately wanted and we can move on?”  
  
Mike tried to hang on to his anger but he couldn’t. He could hear the words coming out of his own mouth but he knew they were a desperate attempt to avoid facing reality.  
  
The panda he was holding in his hands was telling him what he did not want to accept. Harvey was kind. And warm and giving. But if that were true, Mike was lost.  
  
He felt the tears well up in his eyes. And he didn’t feel the need to hide them. There was no shame in his defeat. He couldn’t win this battle. Mike would always love Harvey.  
  
He looked up at him. His eyes asked for forgiveness for his harsh words. “I’m sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. And I didn’t mean it. I love you for fixing this. I just... I love you…” He fell into the chair and buried his face in his hands.  
  
…  
  
Harvey felt like all the happiness he’d ever felt in his life had drained out of him when Mike pushed him away. But nothing compared to the feeling of when Mike yelled at him. He thought that when Mike had seen the panda, he’d been about to...well, Harvey didn’t know exactly, but he was sure it must have been more pleasant than Mike’s next words.  
  
Harvey had simply stood there and let Mike’s anger wash over him, surprised that he was upset at the implication that his kissing Mike had meant nothing. Was this how Mike had felt when Harvey hadn’t kissed back in the office that night? Or maybe this was how Mike had felt when Harvey had threatened to fire him for his actions.  
  
And then Mike had apologized, looking lost and miserable and begging for forgiveness as he’d told Harvey he loved him.  
  
Harvey froze. This wasn’t exactly new territory for him. He’d had a lot of women over the years tell him they loved him, but this time, he wasn’t certain of his own feelings. Before, he always knew that he didn’t return their love, but with Mike? He was lost. He didn’t know what he’d felt back there in the kitchen when he had kissed the man. Was it love? Or was it just lust?  
  
Mike was sitting on the folding chair by the cheap folding table where their breakfast plates were supposed to be. He had his face buried in his hands, the panda clutched to his chest beneath them like it was all he had left. And in a way, it was.  
  
Harvey wanted to say something. He wanted desperately to make this whole thing better. But for once in his life the words wouldn’t come.  
  
Mike removed his face from the shelter of his hands as the silence stretched on, and stared at Harvey longingly.  
  
“Mike...” Harvey started, hoping the blond would jump in. When Mike simply stared back, Harvey realized he was going to have to continue to find the words on his own.  
  
“Look, I...I’m not sure why I did that. I just, I saw you in there and I wanted...I was going to show that damned panda picture as an apology, but then you were cooking the stupid bacon and it made me realize I wanted this.”  
  
Mike looked questioningly at Harvey, and was squeezing the panda even closer to him than before. If Harvey hadn’t been so out of his form he’d be worried that Mike was going to break the new frame on the thing.  
  
Harvey let out a deep breath. “I can’t say I love you, Mike. Because I don’t know if I do. If I say I don’t, then some part of me gets mad that I don’t, but if I say I do, I’d be lying.”  
  
Mike looked at Harvey with so much raw emotion on his face that Harvey simply wanted to kiss him again.  
  
Harvey frowned. “This is why I’m against having emotions. Everything was fine before all of this happened.”  
  
“Sure Harvey, blame me. My fault. God, for someone who always knows the right answer you can say really stupid things. Do you honestly think it’s going to make me feel better when you say that you’d be lying if you said you loved me? The worst thing is, you can’t seem to shut up about it. I get your point. Really. I do. Please stop prolonging this and just leave, okay?”  
  
Harvey let Mike’s words wash over him. He’d hurt him again, but this time he was being honest. It made him angry. Mike wanted the truth, right? But now he was too scared to accept it. “No.”  
  
Mike looked at him in surprise, but Harvey didn’t give him the chance to speak.  
  
“I’m being honest, here. I _don’t_ know how I feel about you. I _don’t_ know why I kissed you. Just because you get the answer you don’t want, doesn’t mean you can be a martyr about it.” He was yelling by the time he’d finished. He waited for Mike to respond, wishing this all had never happened. He didn’t like fighting with Mike, and he missed their playful banter and embarrassing fist bumps.  
  
Mike got up from his chair. “Bullshit. I don’t mind the truth. Well, I do mind, but I already knew. Don’t tell me I can’t take it. If I couldn’t take it I would have left months ago. I just don’t need you to rub it in. And I certainly don’t need you to stand there being all so very honest about it. What do you want? A fucking medal? If you want to be so Goddamn honest, you shouldn’t have kissed me.”  
  
Harvey blinked at Mike, processing his words. He could see how this scene would go if it were their old selves. Mike would have made a reference to A Few Good Men by now and they’d have laughed it off and had a few beers, maybe worked on some cases. But instead, they were fighting again. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want to be alone again. Not after he’d gotten a taste of the happiness he’d found with Mike.  
  
He stepped closer to Mike, towering over him with his sheer force of will. Mike’s angry blue eyes practically dared him to come closer. And Harvey really needed to reign in his emotions, before he did start being more honest and kissed the damn brat. “I want you. That’s the honest truth. How I want you, I don’t know. But I’m not leaving here until I know you’re coming back to work tomorrow.”  
  
Mike looked at him and slowly shook his head. “Do you have any idea what you are saying? You want me but you don’t know how yet? Really? And you won’t leave before I will tell you that I will be at work tomorrow? To do what exactly? Listen to detailed instructions on _how_ you want me? Or, in case you haven’t figured that out by then, I just sit there, shut up, and wait until you do?” He tilted his head. Not impressed at all by Harvey towering over him. ”Tell me Harvey, who died and made you God? You don’t own me.”  
  
“Would you shut up for one second?” Harvey said back, voice soft once more. He was getting tired of Mike’s convoluted arguments and run-around demands. “First you want me to be honest, next you tell me not to be unless it’s the answer you want to hear. And when it’s not you tell me to leave. Now you’re telling me what? That you don’t want to work at the firm anymore?” He didn’t give Mike the chance to respond before he continued. He wouldn’t let Mike trap him anymore. “Well that’s a load of crap. You made it very clear what you wanted from the beginning. I’m sorry that I don’t know what I want from you, Mike. I am. God, you still haven’t changed since that first day on the job. Whenever things get tough you cut and run. I may have screwed up, but at least I’m here trying to fix my mess.”  
  
Mike took a deep breath. “Harvey, I never said, not once, that I wanted to run away. I never asked you to be honest. There was no need. I accepted the fact that you don’t love me. And, yes, I had to deal with that. I am sorry that I overreacted at times. That’s when you get when you are really in love. It hurts. I don’t want to be a martyr because I’m not. I don’t want you to say things that aren’t true and I don’t want you to lie to me. But what I do want you to do is respect the fact that it hurts beyond belief, that it tears your heart out when someone doesn’t love you the way you love him. And you can’t just go around kissing someone because you _maybe_ want them. I am asking you to not say a word until you figured out what it is. And for now, I’ll just presume that you don’t love me. If, for some miraculous reason that will ever change, believe me I want to be the first to know. But please don’t expect me to be able to handle your wavering thoughts, feelings and behaviour. I just can’t deal with it. Sorry.”  
  
Harvey was silent for a moment and Mike looked as Harvey was starting to feel. He spoke softly. “Mike. I may not have experience in this field, but just because you don’t know if you love someone, does that mean you can’t find out? I may not feel the exact same way about you as you do about me, but you can’t hold that against me. I didn’t kiss you out of some misplaced attempt at restoring the balance. I kissed you because I wanted to. _Why_ I wanted to, I don’t know. But I wanted to. And I want to do it again. I’ve wanted to this entire conversation even while you’re being a pain in the ass and yelling at me.” Harvey swallowed a deep breath of air before squaring himself for the worst. “Now, if you want me to leave, I will. And if you never want to speak to me about any of this again, that’s up to you and I’ll respect your decision. But if I don’t see you in the office, I’m going to have Donna find you and drag you back kicking and screaming. I may not or I might care for you beyond friendship, but I refuse to watch you throw away your life just because you hate me.”


	10. AIl I Want Is You

“When is it going to sink in Harvey?” Mike took one step closer, he reached out for him and pulled him close. “I don’t hate you, I love you.” He gave him a soft but very passionate kiss.  
  
Harvey allowed Mike to take the lead for a few seconds before letting his emotions finally take over. He squeezed Mike closer and let the residual anger he’d felt at Mike’s words out through his kiss. And from there, other emotions followed. He had no clue what it was, whether it was love or not, but it felt right. And he wanted more of it. When Mike moved to break away, Harvey didn’t let him. He walked Mike back until he hit the crappy folding table and continued kissing him. He didn’t even notice the slight smell of smoke that was trailing through the room.  
  
…  
  
  
Mike felt like he was about to lose his last bit of self control. But just before he decided to tear Harvey’s shirt off, the faint smell hit his nostrils. “Oh crap! The bacon!” He yanked himself loose and ran to the kitchen. He picked up the hot pan and threw it in the sink, burning his hand in the process.   
  
Harvey must have heard Mike’s screams because he hastened his return to the kitchen. As Mike clutched his hand and struggled to turn on the water and gain some relief from the pain of his burned flesh, Harvey finally turned the stove off. Had Mike not been so flustered by Harvey’s passionate return of his kiss, perhaps he’d have turned the stove off before removing the pan. Maybe he would have noticed the oven mitt sitting forgotten on the counter, too.  
  
“Idiot,” Harvey scolded him, but it didn’t have the same harsh tone Mike was used to hearing. “You really can’t cook bacon, can you?” he said as he grabbed Mike’s wrist to steady it under the stream of water.  
  
Mike chuckled. “Very funny.” He kissed Harvey on his cheek and then he whispered in his ear,“You better be grateful for that burned bacon, because I was about to tear your shirt off and unzip your jeans with my teeth.” He gave him a very soft bite on his neck.  
  
Harvey let the smile spread across his face. He may not know if he loved Mike the way Mike loved him, but Mike could tell that the man did love this moment. “I guess I shouldn’t have brought so much, then,” Harvey said and stepped away from Mike. Before Mike could worry about what Harvey’s leaving meant in regards to feelings, the man had picked up the packs of bacon and dumped them in the trash. Harvey gave Mike a mischievous grin and with a rather sensuous look, asked in his sultry voice, “Now, what you were saying about my jeans?”  
  
“You should have waited until I got my bed. But for now the floor will have to do.” He pushed Harvey back into the living room. Without taking his eyes off him he grabbed Harvey’s shirt and slowly unbuttoned it. When his hands reached the last one, he continued with the one button on his jeans. Finally he took his eyes off him and kissed him on his lips. The next kiss was on his neck. Slowly, his tongue followed the trail of the unbuttoned shirt downwards. When he reached Harvey’s jeans, the look he gave Harvey was telling him he was not going to show him any mercy. With his teeth he opened his zipper.  
  
Mike felt Harvey tense suddenly and he looked up to find Harvey’s jaw clenched in what almost resembled fear. “You _are_ okay with this, right?”  
  
Harvey appeared to be battling something in his head. He simply gave Mike an indignant look as if to suggest that Mike’s question was the dumbest in the world. But Mike could tell that something was wrong.  
  
“Harvey?” Mike asked him, serious despite being on his knees about to have very intimate contact with his boss.  
  
Mike got up. “Harvey, are you okay? I’m sorry if I....I just assumed that you...” Mike felt very awkward suddenly. He wanted to do it. Very much so. Nothing would have given him greater pleasure than to hear Harvey groan, beg Mike to go on, and eventually satisfy him. But now Mike almost felt like he’d violated Harvey.   
  
God, this was gonna go down in history as the most confusing day ever.  
  
Harvey’s face hardened as Mike rose. His hands clutched Mike’s forearms and Mike got the feeling that Harvey had just made a rather serious decision.  
  
“It doesn’t matter. I want to, apparently,” Harvey muttered wryly. “But only with you.”  
  
Mike stared at Harvey. He didn’t mean to stare but he just couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. “Are you telling me that you never...” He didn’t want to say it out loud because he got the feeling that Harvey felt somehow embarrassed. “Then this isn’t the place. And don’t say that it doesn’t matter, because it does. So either we are going to buy a fantastic bed for this place, or we go over to your house, or you can take a raincheck.” The look on Mike’s face was a sure indication that he really did not want Harvey to choose the latter.  
  
Harvey swallowed nervously. “Not never,” he said suddenly upset. At Mike’s look, though, he admitted, “Okay, so maybe not.”  
  
Mike donned a sudden smirk at the idea that at last, aside from that law trivia game at that fateful interview, he’d beaten Harvey at something. “Well, what do you want to do?”  
  
Harvey was clearly even more uncomfortable now. “I don’t know. Jesus. I want this. I want it with you. But it honestly doesn’t matter to me where and when or even how. I just want you.”  
  
Mike was sure he had never loved Harvey more than right now in this moment. “You know what? For this one time, let me take the lead. That means you have to trust me.” He kissed him. “Now give me your keys.”   
  
When he saw the look of horror on Harvey’s face he chuckled. “Sorry, couldn’t resist. You get to drive us to your place. But the minute we enter the front door, I will get to boss you around. And believe me, I’ll make it worth your while.”  
  
Harvey smiled back and hastily pulled his shirt back together, the buttons not lined up properly. He looked a delicious mess and Mike couldn’t help but let his imagination run wild as he watched the spectacle.   
  
“I’ll meet you downstairs,” Harvey said hungrily and stalked out the door.  
  
But Mike got the feeling that Harvey wanted to be alone for a few minutes, so he took his time gathering his keys and making sure this apartment wasn’t going to catch fire. He took one last look at the forgotten panda picture and placed it back on the wall. It really did make the place feel like home.   
  
...  
  
The minute they closed the front door of Harvey’s condo behind them, Mike pushed Harvey against the wall with a force that surprised the older man. This time Harvey’s shirt was unbuttoned in no time. Mike left little bite marks all over Harvey’s body. His tongue left a warm and wet trail all the way down to the edge of his jeans. Then Mike got up again and pulled Harvey with him to the bedroom.   
  
He pushed him down on the bed. And while he looked down on him with eyes filled with lust, he took off his own shirt. He crawled up on the bed and used both his hands to get rid of Harvey’s jeans. He leaned over him, bit him on his neck again and whispered, “Get ready gorgeous. Enjoy the ride.” He went south and grabbed the edge of Harvey’s boxers with his teeth. With a devious smile he pulled them off. Very slowly his warm lips touched Harvey. It sent a shiver down Mike’s spine. He knew Harvey was gorgeous but seeing him naked exceeded his expectations. He had never been so turned on in his life. He wanted to taste Harvey so badly.  
  
…  
  
Harvey was clutching the sheets of his bed as Mike caressed his skin. He never imagined he’d ever be doing this with another man, let alone not being the one in control. Sure he’d been with lots of women who’d treated him before, but he’d still been the one in charge if not taking the lead. But with Mike, things were different. In every way.  
  
As Mike pulled his boxers off, Harvey couldn’t help but feel that this was right, though. Despite his inexperience with men, despite his lack of control, despite his nervousness, Harvey felt oddly at ease.  
  
When Mike’s lips met his skin next, Harvey’s hands squeezed at the sheets even more tightly than he thought possible. Mike was definitely not the most experienced at this when compared to some of Harvey’s previous partners, but he was definitely the most effective.   
  
“Mike,” he gasped as the blond did something phenomenal with his tongue.   
  
For a brief moment Mike let go. He looked at Harvey. “I want to taste you, Harvey. Don’t you pull away from me.” He groaned when his mouth took control of Harvey again.  
  
His hands pushed Harvey down on the bed, leaving him no room for escape. Being a man himself, he knew exactly which spot to touch to make Harvey come like he had never before.  
  
Harvey was surprised by Mike’s words and pleased that they were said honestly and sincerely. It was almost enough to take him over the edge. But Mike’s mouth did the rest.  
  
He let out an undignified moan and let his body sink back into his plush mattress, completely blissed out and unaware of the world around him. But all he knew was that he still was missing something. Where had Mike gone?   
  
“Mike,” he called out softly. A hand stroked his thigh soothingly and warm wet lips met his own. Harvey could taste himself on them, and it gave him a sense of satisfaction to taste Mike underneath the flavor.   
  
He needed to make Mike feel the way he did now. Needed to show Mike what that had meant to him. But he was again uncertain. How did this continue? He knew of numerous possibilities, but lacking any experience, he wasn’t sure how to proceed.  
  
“I want...” Harvey started, hoping Mike would know.  
  
Mike smiled as he caressed Harvey’s face. “No matter how much I want you, I think this experience was enough for one day. We have plenty of time to discover each other and find out what makes us happy, horny, and satisfied. But for now, why don’t we take a long hot shower together and then we will finally have that breakfast,” he giggled. “Because, although I can’t say I’m walking around on an empty stomach anymore, I’m still hungry.”  
  
“You’re disgusting,” Harvey managed. Mike just waggled his eyebrows at him and crawled out of bed.  
  
Harvey did the same and waited until Mike had turned the shower on before climbing in beside him. Harvey was pretty sure he knew what to do here.  
  
An hour later Mike was sitting at the kitchen island loading egg on his fork. The bacon had turned out delicious this time. While he shoved the forkful of egg in his mouth, he looked at Harvey drinking his coffee. God, he could so easily get used to this. When Harvey turned his back to get a refill for his coffee Mike whispered ever so softly. “I love you, Harvey Specter.”  
  
Harvey froze and for a moment, Mike was worried he’d ruined this perfect moment, sent them back to those awful moments before they’d gotten here.   
  
But Harvey turned around, smirk plastered to his deliciously smug face. “I know.”   
  
Mike could see the hint of apology in his eyes, the uncertainty floating behind them. And Mike realized that Harvey might not be sure of his feelings because, he’d repressed them for so long, he probably wasn’t sure they were feelings. But Mike knew, in this moment, sitting at the table, eating breakfast in Harvey’s place, that there was love there.  
  
And for now, that was enough.

**Author's Note:**

> To our beloved readers: thank you for taking the time to read our story. Thank you for leaving kudos and comments.  
> This story has been an experiment in co-authorship. We thoroughly enjoyed writing it together. We would love to hear from you whether you think we should go for another one.
> 
> And in case you're wondering; Kevin eventually ended up in Mike's apartment.   
> The lovely green fern, given to him and nicknamed ‘Kevin’ by Donna, did look better in his livingroom than on his desk. ;)


End file.
